Saturday, May 26, 2012

On the Other Side of Suffering

Somehow it happens, when the dirge
for loss has drawn to a silence, and the profoundness of pain has ebbed
away—even as it occurs as a brief respite, but certainly as an ultimatum for
life now coming—there is more than relief that remains.

This is surreal.

On the other side of suffering is
a bright new world just waiting to be uncovered.

The idea is this: there is more
serene feel and wonder felt on the other side of suffering. Life without
suffering has a way of soothing the nuances of pain that may be felt, for in
life there is always pain. But we are typically resistant to feeling subliminal
pain, until pain rises sufficiently to slap us across the face, breaking
through in the most calamitous of ways.

This is why the most passionate
philanthropists have been touched uniquely in their own experience of pain.
They have been rocked by pain so deep, so personal.

Pain has a way of piquing at our
ideas for life, challenging what we previously accepted as truth. Pain upends
our priorities. It re-sorts our values.

Pain prompts reflection in the
midst of our beliefs—both of faith and experience.

As a result of the pain deforming
us and our beliefs, we are re-formed by broader systems of belief that accommodate our experiences of suffering.

These new beliefs begin to coerce
us out of our narcissistic zones and our awareness opens to the pain in others’
worlds—and the world, generally. It’s as if our eyes had been opened—the eyes
of our hearts, and the ventricles of our spiritual senses. And never should they
close again.

Accepting An Excruciating Paradox

Life is a paradoxical phenomenon
in many ways; certainly by the fact that loss opens the way to victory for the
soul.

It’s like God gives us ourselves
only after we have entered in and fought for our true selves. Yes, we cannot enjoy the fullness of
experience with ourselves if there is darkness within that is left unexposed.

Suffering has its way—if we’ll
submit to its lessons—of showing us more of our true selves with our
self-protective blinkers off.

It’s a great challenge to our
pride to accept this, for God never forces us to face up to our burdensome
truths—that we have damage to deal with—if we will enter in.

Acquiring A Licence To Feel

Of course, the pleasant (or
not-so-pleasant) reality is, we’ve been put in touch with our pain and now we
can know it is ever to be part of us. We’ve been given licence to feel, and, with that, is the
courage to subsist in an existential truth none of us can do anything about,
but endure.

It is good to feel, having the
courage to feel.

And what is birthed within is the
true sense for humility—we no longer must try to be humble—it’s now more part
of whom we are and are becoming.

***

There is a prize beyond suffering.
Especially as we learn, our worlds for sight are opened, as are our hearts. Our
perspectives are broadened and we begin to appreciate reality. God has gotten
through to us and continues to do so.